A Tennessee Highway Patrol trooper was the first to see Gilbert had mutilated himself after seeing the man, who was driving naked, covered in blood, the
Daily Mail
reports.
He was eventually stopped by members of the Alexandria Police Department who managed to box in his car on the highway just before he reached the Interstate.
He was taken into custody and transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, though it is not known if his appendage was retrieved for reattachment.
Responding to a request from
Newsweek
, the THP public information office confirmed many of the details related to the pursuit and condition of Gilbert on Wednesday morning, including that he suffered from what appeared to be a self-inflicted wound. Due to the preliminary nature of the information and the ongoing investigation, the office could not immediately confirm the more outlandish aspects of Gilbert's reported injury.